Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
To see the various language postings (English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Dutch) go to the side panel on the right side of The Christian Recorder Online http://www.the-christian-recorder.org/tcr-online/ under “Previous Posts” and click on the language and the date of the issue you wish to read.
1. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:
We have had some growing pains with the advent of the foreign language editions. I am asking you to bear with us as we attempt to resolve the problem of some of you not receiving your English editions and of receiving all of the non-English language editions. As of today, the English edition of The Christian Recorder Online will be emailed to all subscribers of The Christian Recorder Online. If you are subscribed to The Christian Recorder Online and you fail to receive the emailed Christian Recorder, you will need to change the settings of your filters. And, if you receive gibberish in your Christian Recorder, see the instructions below for changing the settings so that the gibberish will be eliminated. As a reminder, you may always access the Christian Recorder at http://www.the-christian-recorder.org/tcr-online/
- Email Clients
As it relates to email clients, here is a word from our Webmaster, the Reverend Alton Paris, “We have different email clients with different personal settings and filters. Some of my emails are filtered by the ISP and then filtered again by the filters I have on my computer. All of the filtering is an effort to keep out SPAM. Sometimes the SPAM fighting software filters out the very E-Mail that I want to receive. So, if you fail to get an email that you are expecting, it may be your filters are just doing what they are suppose to do of trying to protect you against SPAM. For example, if you received the foreign editions of The Christian Recorder, you should have received the English editions, unless your filters have decided that you did not want the English Edition. Sometimes our filters do not act the way we want them to act.” I suggest that you check the Settings of your Email client and the ISP filters to make sure that you are getting the emails you want and rejecting the spam.”
- If you are having problems with gibberish appearing in your Christian Recorder Online, the gibberish from future messages can be resolved by following the instructions below:
In order to display Apostrophes and Quotation Marks properly the Text Unicode Encoding must be set to UTF-8. (Western European may work also, but try UTF-8 first. In Outlook Express, click on View -> Encoding and select Unicode (UTF-8), If Unicode (UTF-8) is not visible, Click on View - > Encoding – More …and you will have more options including Unicode (UTF-9).
The new dissemination of The Christian Recorder will eliminate the problem of subscribers receiving multiple daily editions.
Persons wishing to access the foreign language editions may go to: http://www.the-christian-recorder.org/tcr-online/
2. BISHOP ANDERSON RESPONDS TO ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTONPOST ONLINE:
Bishop Vinton Anderson replies to the article dated Sunday, July 17, 2005 written in The washingtonpost.com by John W. Fountain , entitled, " No Place for Me - I Still Love God, But I've Lost Faith in the Black Church” By John W. Fountain
Synopsis from the Washingonpost.com Website:
“Sunday morning arrived, like so many before, with a mix of sunlight and chirping birds outside my bedroom window and a warm greeting from my tiny son, lying beside my wife and me. My wife rose quickly, announcing her plan to jump in the shower and get ready for Sunday school at the Baptist church,...
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/15/AR2005071502194.html?referrer=emailarticle
Bishop Anderson’s comments
Thanks for this important word. I have just been reading a book, Arc of Justice, Kevin Boyle, with a major section on the AME Church, and noted for my church, the A.M.E Church, how different we are since it seems we are more concerned with theatrics than theology.(check, My Soul Shouts). I have surely concluded that we, in the Black Church, really need a cause larger than a “prosperity theology” with its emphasis on personal salvation at the neglect of social salvation, which demands that we, as Christians, are responsible for each other. Our mothers and fathers did not seek heaven only for themselves. They were concerned about the race, and all humankind.
I had hoped that my recommendation in the Episcopal Address in 1992, calling for Faith and Order dialogues, would have had a turn-around effect on a liberating and reconciling people who understand that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered, bled, and died for the sake of the whole world. We seem to have lost the concept of the "whole" salvific process, remembering only the resurrection and the Pentecost-joy. Christianity has a Cross at its center, Jesus paid it all, hung His head and died, and we humans, saved by grace and His shed blood, have reason to repent and confess that our sins continue to crucify our Lord. We have the tendency to ignore pain in others, preferring an outward manifestation of joy as a sign of our serving Christ. The Triune God hurts when we hurt; we must hurt when God and humankind hurts. Let us hope that the dialogue continues.
God bless,
Vinton Anderson.
3. UPCOMING AME MEETINGS TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH:
http://www.ame-church.com/index.php
2006 LAY EXCURSION TO SOUTH AFRICA MARCH 1-11, 2006
Follow this link for detailed information about the trip:
http://xodusint.com/1/Itineraries.ASP (You will then need to click the "South Africa" link that appears at the bottom of the page.)
To view a PDF file of the event flyer, click here.
Retirement Board MeetingSeptember 8, 2005 Nashville, TN
SADA Founder’s Day Banquet
September 17, 2005 Washington, D.C.
Strategic Planning September 19-20, 2005 Nashville, TN
Strategic Planning
November 28-29, 2005Nashville, TN
General Conference CommissionDecember 6-7, 2005 St. Louis, MO
I. T. WorkshopDecember 7-8, 2005 Sponsored by CIO / CFOSt. Louis, MO
Retirement Board MeetingDecember 8-9, 2005St. Louis, MO
4. THE 2005 TWELFTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULES:
The Right Reverend. Richard Allen Chappelle, Sr., Presiding Bishop
Dr. Barbara Jeanne Chappelle, Supervisor
Oklahoma Annual Conference
September 6, 2005
WMS Convention
September 7-11, 2005
Barnett Chapel A.M.E. Church
3421 SW Abilene Drive* Lawton, OK 73501
Church Phone: (580) 355-6326
Pastor’s Phone: (580) 595-9411
The Reverend Michelle T. Moulden, Host Pastor
The Reverend Edward E. Davis, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Harvey G. Potts, Sr., Associate Presiding Elder
Central Northeast Oklahoma Conference
September 13, 2005
WMS Convention
September 14-18, 2005
Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church
623 East Cherokee * McAlester, OK 74501
Church Phone: (918) 423-6352
Pastor's Phone: (918) 428-3327
The Reverend Wilbert Brown, Host Pastor
The Reverend Morris E. Griffin, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Magnus W. T. Scott, Associate Presiding Elder
East Northeast Arkansas Conference
September 20, 2005
WMS Convention
September 21 - 25, 2005
Saint Paul A.M.E. Church
600 East Washington * Jonesboro, AR 72401
Church Phone: (870) 972-5907
Pastor’s Phone: (870) 931-6277
The Reverend Keith Granberry, Host Pastor
The Reverend Thurston B. Lamb, Sr., Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Napoleon Davis, Jr., Associate Presiding Elder
Central Arkansas Conference
October 11, 2005
WMS Convention
October 12-16, 2005
Allen Temple A.M.E. Church
1125 Virginia Street * Pine Bluff, AR 71601
Church Phone: (870) 534-5306
Pastor’s Phone: (870) 836-8952
The Reverend Gregory Nettles, Host Pastor
The Reverend Thomas G. Allen, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Curley Roberts, Associate Presiding Elder
South Arkansas Conference
October 25, 2005
WMS Convention
October 26-30, 2005
Pilgrim Rest A.M.E. Church
522 North Bailey Street * Monticello, AR 71655
Church Phone: (870) 367-6530/367-2647
Pastor's Phone: (870) 535-2605
The Reverend Kent J. Broughton, Host Pastor
The Reverend Samuel L. Arnold, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend James T. Hooper, Associate Presiding Elder
West Arkansas Conference
November 8, 2005
WMS Convention
November 9-13, 2005
St. Phillip A.M.E. Church
401 North Kelso Street * Magnolia, AR 71753
Church Phone: (870) 234-4660
Pastor’s Phone: (501) 834-1092
The Reverend Charles B. Frost, Host Pastor
The Reverend Thomas W. Adair, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Clarence V. Boyd, Sr., Associate Presiding Elder
Arkansas Conference
November 15, 2005
WMS Convention
November 16-20, 2005
Bethel A.M.E. Church
815 West 16th Street, Little Rock, AR 72202
Church Phone: (501) 374-2891
Pastor’s Phone: (501) 749-7025
The Reverend Nolan Watson, Host Pastor
The Reverend Eugene Brannon, Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Charles M. Cleaver, Sr., Associate Presiding Elder
District Planning Meeting
December 8-10, 2005
Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church
2403 East Barton Avenue
West Memphis, AR 72301
Church Phone: (870) 732-3446/732-9660
Pastor’s Phone: (901) 785-5022
The Reverend Lewie A. Norful, Host Pastor
The Reverend Thurston B. Lamb, Sr., Host Presiding Elder
The Reverend Napoleon Davis, Sr., Associate Presiding Elder
5. NEWS FROM AROUND THE AME CHURCH:
Sister Florence Brown Graham, a member of Arnett Chapel AME, Quincy, Florida turned 100 years old on Saturday, July 30, 2005. Last week the members of the Arnett Chapel AME Church Annie Shaw Missionary Society, Quincy, Florida, celebrated her 100th birthday by giving a party in her honor. She said that she was happy to be a part of Arnett Chapel.
Dr. Earl Sheridan, a member of the Trustee Board of Mt. Olive AME Church, Wilmington, North Carolina has decided to run for City Council. He is the former president of the local branch of the NAACP.
The Rev. Charles Harvin and Macedonia A.M.E. Church of Suffolk will be one of the revival preachers at Pleasant Union Baptist, in Suffolk, Virginia. He will be preaching on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 and Potter's House Christian Fellowship Center.
Greater St. James AME Church, 2100 W. Oak St., Louisville, Kentucky will hold a retirement banquet for its pastor, the Rev. John R. Williams, 6 p.m. Friday at the Eastern Star Baptist Church multipurpose building, 824 S. 24th St. Louisville, Kentucky.
St. John A.M.E. Church, 1822 Formosa, Nashville, Tennessee conducted a Health fair last Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include screenings for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol; games; and refreshments. The Reverend Antoni Sinkfield is the pastor.
Bethel A.M.E. Church, Columbia, South Carolina gives away free clothes, shoes, and school supplies at Clothes Closet located in the gym of the Church from 10 am–noon. Clothes for the entire family are available. Call the church in Columbia at 779-0138.
6. NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:
- The number of black American military recruits is down to its lowest point since the beginning of the all-volunteer force in the early seventies.
- The high school graduation rate among black Americans is going down and the numbers of incarcerated African Americans is increasing.
7. THE REVEREND DR. JOE DARBY WRITES, “THE CHURCH AND POLITICS: MY “TWO CENT’S WORTH”:
Charleston, SC - I am sharing these thoughts at the end of a week that included two sure signs of the approaching 2006 political season. The first was a phone call from a friend in the Democratic Party who wanted to arrange a visit to Morris Brown Church by one of our State’s gubernatorial candidates. The second was a phone call from an acquaintance in the Republican Party who calls every other year to assure me that the GOP really wants to reach out to the black church, and who also wanted to make me aware of new Federal faith based funding opportunities.
Those two calls are reminders of the political clout of the predominately African-American faith community and of African-American clergy. Savvy politicians know that those who go to church are also likely to be conscientious in going to the polls, that one of the best places to reach and communicate with black voters is the black church, and that a lot of church folks seek out the opinions of their pastors. Those two calls also reminded me of two concerns often debated by African-American clergy - how can we responsibly and effectively participate in the political process, and does our doing so go beyond the realm of the mission of the church? There are no simple answers, but I did want to throw in my “two-cents worth.”
I believe that we must not only be involved in the political process - I believe that our failure to do so is a “sin of omission.” Our Lord and Savior advocated for the well-being of those cast aside by society, and ran afoul of the religious and political leadership of his day for doing so. His ministry in this world was not just at the temple on the Sabbath, but was also among people who faced real-life issues. The African Methodist Episcopal Church was born in response to the inequitable treatment of people of color, and the annals of The Christian Recorder include articles that spoke against slavery, lynching, and de jure segregation. AME clergy and laity have been and still are active in the political process and in seeking public office to help shape public policy. The Mission and Purpose of our Zion says in part that we are to spread Christ’s liberating Gospel by “...feeding the hungry; clothing the naked; housing the homeless; cheering the fallen; providing jobs for the jobless; (and) administering to the needs of those in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, asylums and mental institutions and senior citizens' homes.” We cannot do so in an efficient and effective manner if we ignore the role that public policy plays in the well-being of those touched by that potion of our mission statement. If we are to indeed be “the salt of the earth,” then we have to bring the flavor of authentic faith to the political process. We must do so, however, in a way that those in the political arena do not “use” the church or clergy. My responses to the two brothers who called me this week reflect my way of hopefully seeing that the church does not become a political tool.
I told both of my callers that visitors, including those seeking public office, are always welcome in the house of the Lord. I also shared with them, however, the “ground rules” for visiting candidates:
1. Remember that you are coming to worship, not to make a political “drive- by” appearance, so be at church and in place before the Doxology, and stay for the Benediction.
2. You are welcome to greet the congregation during the time afforded for all visitors to do so - from your seat and not from the pulpit. Be aware, however, that if your “greetings” are too lengthy and begin to resemble a speech, I'll first start “humming,” and then thank you for your presence and ask you to sit down.
3. If you have brochures, buttons, bumper stickers, yard signs, etc., you're welcome to hand them out on the sidewalk after the worship service, but not in the sanctuary, the educational building or the fellowship hall and not on church property.
Any candidate who cannot live with those rules is still welcome to drop in, but will not be acknowledged or be allowed to greet the congregation.
I also told both of my callers that the church and the local Branch of the NAACP would co- sponsor a series of candidate forums before the primary and general elections, and all that candidates would be welcome to participate. Incumbents could then stand on and defend their records, challengers could say what they would do better, and those in attendance could ask questions that cannot be asked on Sunday morning.
I also thanked my GOP caller for the faith based funding information, but told him that our congregation is cautious about accepting such funds. The last general election saw more than the usual number of African-American clergy embracing candidates who railed against homosexuality and abortion, but who were notably silent on issues like public education, equitable and affordable health care, criminal justice reform, fair employment and civil rights. In South Carolina, there was a direct correlation between clergy who embraced those candidates and clergy who received faith based funding. I do not want to be placed or place the congregation I serve in the position of willfully or inadvertently taking partisan political stands or failing to speak truth to power based on the receipt of what may be the modern day equivalent of Judas’ “thirty pieces of silver.” The AME Church has always embraced responsible stewardship and self-help. The church should still pay its own way for the most part, and should never be “for sale.”
As the political season approaches, Morris Brown AME Church will also work to register, mobilize and educate voters. In the interim of political seasons, we will continue to keep the congregation informed of the actions taken by elected officials on a broad range of issues and encourage members to attend the regular meetings of elected bodies and share what they hear with others in the congregation and community. Voters can then make prayerful and informed choices based not on visceral election year appeals or public funding, but on what is perceived as the well-being of the community. I consider the things said herein to reflect the role that the church should play in the political process, and do strongly believe that the church cannot separate itself from politics. Those who say that we can and who have ever attended and watched what happens at an AME General Conference badly need a reality check!
The Reverend Joseph A. Darby, Pastor, Morris Brown AME Church, Charleston, SC
8. UPDATE ON THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL AME- SADA FOUNDERS’ BANQUET SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2005:
The First Annual AME- SADA Founders’ Banquet celebration is to honor the following AME-SADA Founders: Bishop John H. Adams, Bishop Frederick C. James, Dr. Joseph P. McKinney, Reverend Lonnie Johnson and Mrs. Wilburn Boddie. It will be held on Saturday September 17, 2005 at the Crystal City Gateway Marriot Hotel, located at 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, across the Potomac River from Washington, D. C.
Bishop Adam J. Richardson, the newly elected Vice-Chairman of the AME-SADA Board of Directors has graciously accepted to serve as Honorary Chairperson of the Banquet Committee.
The preliminary program is described below:
The event will consist of two simultaneous receptions, followed by the banquet.
AME-SADA Chairman’s Reception and the General Reception - 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
During the reception, there will be a selection of art and crafts donated by Haitian and South African artists to be sold at a silent auction and some additional discreet fundraising activities, depending on the type of corporate support we succeed in obtaining.
There will be two simultaneous receptions prior to the banquet: one for the general public, and one for the honorees, the Bishops of the AME Church, and other special guests. Tickets will be sold separately to this “VIP” reception for all persons not invited by the honorees or the Chairman.
Banquet 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. The dinner and awards program will take place at this time. The program will open with a video presentation on AME-SADA and its founders. During that time, the founder’s accomplishments will be recognized individually and the newly established award created in their honor will be described and awarded to their first recipients. The program will close with the address by two speakers for the evening: His Excellency Mr. Alpha Oumar Konaré, African Union Commission Chairperson and former President of the Republicof Mali . The second speaker has not yet confirmed. The evening will close with expressions of gratitude to the various persons and organizations that have supported AME-SADA, announcements of the winners of the silent auction.
Souvenir Booklet: A souvenir booklet will be published containing a description of each founder’s career and accomplishments, with his/her picture. The booklet will also contain a description of AME-SADA’s activities and space for sale to various persons and entities wishing to “advertise” and show their support for the founders, AME-SADA and the event.
During the Banquet, there will be a special recognition of the Dr. and Mrs. Manning for their participation in the conceptualization of AME-SADA and of Bishop Donald G. K. Ming for his contributions to the organization.
In addition, please note that this event is the first annual AME-SADA fundraiser. To assist with that component, I would be very grateful to receive a list of possible donors and invitees (names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mails) you would like to suggest. This list can also contain potential purchasers of tickets for the banquet. It can include persons, businesses or any entity interested in buying space in the souvenir booklet or supporting the evening in some meaningful way. I am enclosing for your information a list of the prices for advertising in the souvenir booklet and for various levels of sponsorships.
We hope that you will be able to purchase a table ($1,000.00) to assist us with this endeavor. The tickets are $100.00/person and an additional $50.00/person for the VIP reception (All of the Bishops attending the event will be invited to the VIP reception).
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me or Ms. Patricia L. Bradley (Volunteer Banquet Coordinator). Mr. Malcolm Beech of Eagle View Communications is assisting us with the planning and fundraising efforts.
I am looking forward to this event and to your participation and especially your suggestions and guidance in making this First Annual AME-SADA Founders’ Gala successful.
Robert Nicolas
Executive Director
9. THE EDITOR WILL BE GOING ON VACATION:
My wife and I will be going on vacation beginning Friday, August 12 thru Friday, August 19, 2005. We will be in Mesa, Arizona. Please keep us in your prayers and we relax and enjoy each other.
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
